Charles Barkley called out James Harden during TNT's halftime show for the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers play-in game on Friday night. The NBA legend took issue with Harden's recent claim that he feels no pressure entering his first playoff run with the Philidelphia 76ers.
“James Harden, you said you don’t feel no pressure?” Barkley asked during the broadcast. “Man, you better think again. Them people in Philadelphia ain’t gonna have you going out there and playing bad. So you can sit — I don’t wanna call it deflection or whatever — you got more pressure on you than any player in the playoffs. Good luck, now! Cause my Sixers, I love y’all Sixers and my Suns, but James, don’t tell that lie.”
“Pressure, no. I feel good,” Harden had said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I’m ready to hoop. There’s nothing to it.”
Harden joined the 76ers, earlier this season, after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and draft picks. In his two games against the Raptors as a member of the 76ers, Harden has struggled, leading the team to drop both games.
The 76ers will begin their playoff run against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
Check out Barkley's rant about Harden below.
[Via]